Do you remember the good old days when you were issued one pair of uniform boots of the same exact style as everyone else in your branch of the service? Well, those days are over, at least as far as it goes for the United States Marine Corps. In a recent article written for Military.com, the Marine Corps has, in an effort to continually improve the equipment and clothing of the branch, approved 7 new brands of combat service boots. “”

According to the article, “Marines can now choose from 16 different combat, rugged all-terrain or optional boots. The list of approved styles was released in a service-wide administrative message last week, which was signed by Lt. Gen. David Berger, the head of Marine Corps Combat Development Command.”.

The article, written by journalist Gina Hawkins goes on to give a brief description of the merits of the new approved footwear, as well as a detailed listing of them and their manufacturer.“These are the boots that were added to the list of officially approved footwear:

The Marine Corps first authorized Danner’s Reckoning hot-weather boot last year. Even though it wasn’t formally publicized, word spread quickly when the service started selling the boots in the exchanges, Hamby said.

The last time the list of authorized boots had been formally updated was in March 2016″.
What this means for the civilian military surplus community is that these same boots will at some point in time be made available as surplus. Because, even though the individual soldier will often purchase the footwear of his or her choice directly from the manufacturer, the military will still buy mass quanities of same for research, testing, deployment, etc…

It was with mixed emotions that I drove the boy to the Armed Forces Career Center for the final time.

He is, as I write this, in the process of becoming a United States Marine. I couldn’t be more proud of him and I was assaulted with a plethora of memories during that long final drive as I tried to offer him my advice on how to survive boot camp, forgetting for the time being that if he is at all like me, he wasn’t paying a bit more attention to what I was saying than the man in the moon. That’s because he is the type that wants to sort things out for himself, and he also knows that the boot camp I experienced in 1992 is not the same boot camp that he will experience on Parris Island in 2018.

However, we did have a great opportunity to relive some exciting moments that we shared together over the last 22 years.

His first deer for instance. This was a three day deer camp that culminated in his shooting the biggest doe I have ever seen straight through the heart with his brand new Mossburg 20 gauge shotgun that he had gotten for Christmas that year. I had just watched him allow a much smaller doe to creep past us, right underneath the deer stand we were sitting in. He had simply watched her go by, unable to move fast enough to click the safety off and fire the shot that would have made meat for the family for the winter. I was quietly chewing his ass, when he suddenly snapped off the safety, threw the shotgun to his shoulder, and blasted past my ear without a word of explanation. I was a little pissed, thinking that he had simply done that for dramatic effect in response to my chastisement, and then I saw the blood spatter in the snow. A spatter which ended in a steaming pile of nearly a hundred and fifty pounds of fresh venison. That was a great day for me, because being squeamish, I offered him the chance to clean all the guns when we shoot in exchange for my dressing the game that we shoot. He soon discovered that we shot much more than we hit.

And so I look forward to the times that we can spend in his deer camp, telling his war stories to his sons as we sit in his grandfathers old military surplus army tent. This is what memories are made of.

As you celebrate this wonderful day with your grilled hotdogs and flame broiled burgers, please remember that this wonderful freedom that you enjoying in the form of celebration with friends and family isn’t free; it was bought with a price.

That price comes in many forms. Most notably is the blood and lives of those Americans who have fought and died to protect your right to lie poolside on such a glorious day and celebrate the happiness of living your life away from the tyranny and usury that is so prevalent in other societies under other government rules.

And so, I ask ,as you go camping this holiday season, or even if you’re just pitching the old military surplus tent in the back yard for your grandkids to play in… do so with a silent prayer on your lips and in your heart for those men and women who have taken up arms in just such an environment. In such an environment as this to live and sometimes die so that collectively we might all enjoy the right to enjoy the free capital lifestyle that has made America the greatest nation on the planet and many other nations much greater than they would otherwise have been.

I write this with the knowledge that as we progress forward that many lives must be placed in jeopardy, much more blood must be spilled, and more must be given from each and every one of us to maintain that which we have. Our sons and daughters will serve and fight and protect us all in these coming, uncertain days. My very own son, my first born, leaves for service in the Marine Corps in October of this year. He does so with gladness and anticipation; eager to defend the rights and liberties of this great Constitution. And with that in mind, we wish you all a very happy 4th of July.

I’m so excited by the newest addition to the military MRE selection for 2018 that I nearly can’t stand myself.

In a move reminiscent of the daily lunch option at Preble Shawnee Consolidated High School in rural Gratis, Ohio, the military is now offering an opportunity to have pizza for lunch out in the field as a MRE option.

In a recent news article in KITUP magazine the cat was let out of the bag:

The pepperoni pizza entrée has been added to the 2018 Meals, Ready to Eat menu and should be on its way to the field soon.

“You know, for a pizza that has to last for at least three years … it’s pretty stinking good,” said Jeremy Whitsitt, deputy director of the Defense Department’s Combat Feeding Directorate.

“Whenever we have sampled it with people, the primary comment that comes back is, ‘Hey, it tastes like the pizza I had last night that I put in the fridge,’ he said.

“I think that is a great compliment when you think about bread, sauce, cheese and meat — all have to survive in the same pouch together for three years without going bad, or getting stale or moldy,” Whitsitt added.

The pizza is made with a high-heat-tolerant mozzarella cheese and a process that controls moisture levels, pH and oxygen levels to ensure a three-year shelf life, he said.

However, it’s difficult to predict when units will see the new pizza MRE, he said.

“I can’t tell you when troops will see it because that’s all dependent on what their stock is and how quickly they eat though their older stock” of MREs, Whitsitt said.

Defense Logistics Agency officials said it will be available to most troops in about 18 months, according to a May 25 Army press release.”

The good news for us is that these babies will be hitting the surplus line soon enough and we can enjoy our youthful dietary measures all over again.

If you’re like me and are a big fan of the Colt 1911 frame .45 handgun, then you are probably fairly excited about the prospect of the Federal Government opening up the coffers and offering the surplus Colt 1911 military grade sidearms that they have been hoarding away for over 100 years.

According to an article recently posted on Apple News, there is going to be a brief window to purchase these things, and there are going to be some pretty harsh restrictions concerning them. As with the old M1 Garand rifles, these 1911s are going to be offered through the Civilian Marksmanship Program, and they are going to be offered at a fairly steep price based on grade. So, basically it seems that these old workhorses will be offered as a commemorative item as opposed to a utilitarian item… a keepsake if you will.

Here are three highlights that you should know about the program:

Order form packets will be posted on the CMP website June 4. The CMP makes it quite clear that it does not want to be contacted with questions before June 4, nor will it take any orders before Sept. 4. “PLEASE DO NOT CALL, LEAVE MESSAGES OR EMAIL THE CMP 1911 CUSTOMER SERVICE/SALES DEPARTMENT (which will be functional 4 June 2018),” the site states.

The CMP site also lists the prices for the 1911s based on their condition.

— Service Grade pistols will cost $1,050. These pistols “may exhibit minor pitting and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition.”

— Field Grade pistols will cost $950. These pistols “may exhibit minor rust, pitting, and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition.”

There is also an Auction Grade, the price of which will be driven by the auction, and the pistol’s condition will be described when posted for sale, the CMP site states. It was not clear when the auction will be held.

Customer names from complete order form packets will be fed into a computerized random number generator on Oct. 5. It will provide a list of names in sequential order through the random selection process, the site states. Customers will be contacted in the sequence provided by number generator.

Customers will have the opportunity to select their grade of pistol — Service, Field or Rack — from available inventory at the time of order notification, the site states.

The CMP will perform a NICS background check to ensure the customer is eligible to purchase prior to shipment to a “storefront” federal firearms licensed dealer, according to the website. The customer must receive a “proceed” from NICS prior to shipment of the pistol to the dealer.